Field
The disclosure relates to a system and method for providing presence-based communications within a controlled environment.
Background
In a controlled environment, such as a correctional facility, inmates have limited opportunities to communicate with individuals external to the controlled environment. Although inmates sometimes are able to communicate with external individuals via phone calls or video messaging, inmates are often limited to scheduling the communication to ensure that the external individual is free for communication. Without scheduling, inmates risk attempting to contact the external individual when the external individual is not available. This scenario may lead to inmates failing to establish communications with the desired external individual, limiting the conferencing abilities of the inmates.
The present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.